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Languages
Most people in Thule are bilingual to some extent. They are fully fluent in the language of their native region or tribe. They also tend to have at least a basic mastery of Low Atlantean, it being the lingua franca of Thule. There are a few exceptions to this - notably the subhuman beastmen, some of the more isolated savage tribes, and most of the prehuman races such as slith, cyclopes, and rakshasas. Languages in Primeval Thule You can assume that all player characters speak Low Atlantean and their own native language. Characters of Intelligence 9 or less have fairly limited vocabularies Low Atlantean and may suffer circumstance penalties to interaction skill checks if that is the only language they share with the person with whom they are interacting. Common Languages Atlantean, Low: '''The "common tongue" of Thule and nearby lands. '''Atlantean, High: '''When Atlantis reigned as the supreme power in the Atlantean Sea, its language was known by all but the most isolated and backwards savages. The waning influence of Atlantis in the current day means that Atlantean is slowly falling out of use throughout Thule. It is still a language of diplomacy, scholarship, science, and many occult studies. '''Dhari: '''The language of human tribes and cities of Dhari ethnicity. The written form is based on the language of the slith. '''Dwarven: The language of the dwarf race. Its runes are used (rarely) as the basis for writing in Nimothan and Giant. Elven: The language of the elven people. Outside of elven society, it is an important language for arcane studies. Kalayan: '''The language of humans of Kalayan ancestry, most notably the city of Quodeth. Kalayan was strongly influenced by Elven and still uses the Elven alphabet. '''Lomari: '''Humans of Lomar speak this tongue. It is based on the language of the Lemurian empire and is unrelated to any of the other languages spoken in Thule. '''Nimothan: '''Human tribes and cities of Nimothan descent speak this tongue, as well as descendants of Hellumar and Hyperborea. The written form is based on Dwarven runes. '''Urgan: The primitive language of the beastmen, gnolls, and the more intelligent beasts and apes. There is no written form. Uncommon Languages Benthic: '''A prehuman language spoken by the ancient civilizations of the seas. The written form is a fantastically ancient glyph system referred to as Pnakos, known principally for its appearance in the Pnakotic Manuscripts. '''Draconic: The language of the slith. Debased forms of this tongue are spoken by troglodytes and kobolds. Sorcerers that follow the arcane traditions of the serpentmen are also likely to know this language. Giant: An old and almost forgotten language; rarely encountered in the current day. '''Rakshasan: '''The proud and cruel race of rakshasas do not teach their language to people of lesser races, but a few libraries in Thule hold examples of their writings. Sorcerers that follow the arcane traditions of these fiends may have obtained knowledge of this language. Rare Languages '''Abyssal: '''The primary language of demons, the evil spirits that roam the cosmos, leaving chaos and strife behind them. Though rarely spoken by any other creatures, the verbal components of some spells use Abyssal phrases and references, and some of the most powerful arcane tomes are scribed in this language. '''Celestial: '''The language of the gods and their servants. The holiest tomes and scrolls in existence contain passages written in Celestial. '''Infernal: '''The primary language of devils, the evil spirits of law that sometimes make their way to Earth and bargain with humans. Infernal is roughly the outsider equivalent of a lingua franca. '''Mi-go: '''Known only to a handful of scholars and cultists, most of whom are not entirely sane. The strange and sinister mi-go are among the most widely traveled of the extraterrene races that visit the Earth, and their language - generally unpronounceable to humans - serves as a common tongue among the alien races that occasionally visit Thule.